Bill W. and Mr. Wilson: The Legend and Life of A.A.'s Cofounder [Hardcover]

Matthew J. Raphael (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2000

William Griffith Wilson, cited by "Time" magazine as one of the hundred most influential individuals of the twentieth century, is better known as Bill W., cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous. In this book, Matthew J. Raphael, himself a member of A.A. (and writing here under a pseudonym, in accordance with A.A.'s tradition of anonymity), presents a revealing new look at both the legendary Bill W. and the private Mr. Wilson, who tried to live apart from his own celebrity.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"[I]n a hotel then known as Wilson House I was born, perhaps rightly, in a room just back of the old bar," writes Wilson (1895-1970), cofounder and organizer of Alcoholics Anonymous, in this first published edition of an autobiography he began in 1954. Telling one's story is an important AA tradition. Bill W., as Wilson was known in AA circles, had a reputation for being a good storyteller and had previously recounted much of his life in the Big Book (also titled Alcoholics Anonymous) and other writings. Here, Wilson tells of his childhood, military service, marriage, attempts to stop drinking, and spiritual conversion in 1934 but stops short of his historic meeting with cofounder Dr. Bob. The publisher has added articles, appendixes, and recollections of friends, family, and colleagues to flesh out Wilson's fragmented account. In contrast to Francis Hartigan's recent conventional but comprehensive biography, Bill W. (LJ 2/1/00), Bill W. and Mr. Wilson offers an outsider's "personal impressions and ruminations." Following Wilson's own three-part formula ("what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now"), Raphael, an AA member writing under a pseudonym, observes that "what [Bill W.] used to be like scarcely exists outside...the account he first gave in Alcoholics Anonymous and then repeated often." Raphael seeks to distinguish Bill W., cofounder of AA and the Twelve Steps, from Bill Wilson, who "closely guarded his private life during his public career, even as he seemed to bare his soul at AA meetings." Throughout his life, Wilson battled depression, smoked heavily, and had a reputation as a womanizer. Later in life, he participated in LSD research and promoted alternative therapies for alcoholism. As Raphael describes Wilson's life, he traces parallels in the evolution of AA from its origins in the Oxford Group, a religious lay movement, to a worldwide self-help organization of alcoholics helping alcoholics. Both books, while important contributions to the growing literature on Bill W., are supplementary purchases for collections on drug and alcohol abuse. General collections should acquire Hartigan's Bill W.DLucille M. Boone, San Jose P.L., CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Raphael, a pseudonymous Alcoholics Anonymous member who celebrated his thirteenth year of sobriety while writing this book, has not attempted a scholarly biography, though he has consulted archival collections and interviewed a variety of persons. Rather, he aimed to produce a book of "personal impressions and ruminations," and he has generally succeeded. Readers familiar with one or more of the widely differing biographies of Bill W. will find some additional material and some thought-provoking views here. Raphael shows that Bill was influenced by William James' classic study The Varieties of Religious Experience and that he was a lively, egotistic man rather than the saintly figure so often presented by some in A.A. In Raphael's pages, Bill becomes someone to spend an enjoyable evening with, though the urge to give him a kick in the pants might occasionally arise. Raphael's summary view of Bill is that he was intensely aware of his own shortcomings and intensely seeking self-awareness and spiritual discipline. William Beatty
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Massachusetts Pr; 1st ed edition (June 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558492453
• ISBN-13: 978-1558492455
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,207,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it, Read it! Think about it!, August 8, 2000

By 

Friend of Bill's (atlanta, georgia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bill W. and Mr. Wilson: The Legend and Life of A.A.'s Cofounder (Hardcover)

Only 3500 copies initially published. Sure to be a cult book like Igor Sikorsky's "Aa's Godparents : Three Early Influences on Alcoholics Anonymous and Its Foundation : Carl Jung, Emmet Fox, Jack Alexander" and copies will be hoarded and in great demand. The cover of the book is outstanding, from a painting, NIGHTHAWKS by Edward Hopper 1942, its compelling.

The book, like its cover, also is compelling. The author has an easy to read but euridite and somewhat pedantic style that once I became used to it was very comfortable. Its been a long time since I encountered the terms termagant or fin de siecle.

The facts and narratives are always interesting and I find myself agreeing and disagreeing with a number of statements and conclusions but I have to think them out. Items covered extremely well are existentialism, deflation in depth, desire for salvation, The Varities of Relegious Exerience, and the list goes on. That it has compelled me to think out some preconceived views is what I find to be the best characteristic of this book. Read the book and "Let your response happen."

Factually it is nicely done. I admire and respect the author's endeavors.

That said, there are several holes that I wish had been explored:

The Hebrew and Greek concept of "Metanoia" is mentioned in a shallow passage that dismisses it as a purely "Protestant" concept. Father John Doe's, Ralph Pfau, writings would be a place to start. Repentance is more than confessing and saying you are sorry... (there are more than 4 steps!)

Where o where is any reference to Emmet Fox? The Sermon on the Mount has been called the "Little Big Book" and there are several histories where it is noted that it was given out at meetings before there was a big book. The author did a wonderful job of tying linage back to the (Shoemaker, Buchman) Oxford Group, I found myself wishing he had done the same with Emmet Fox. (The Sermon on the Mount is still AA approved literature.)

Several Long/Old/Seasoned Timers have mentioned that Bill, while writing the 164 pages at the mystical white kitchen table, constantly used and referenced the Bible, New Testament, and the book of James. I would have liked to have seen this aspect covered with the same ability the author showed with Nell Wing's viewpoint.

Bill W has a pamphlet which is AA approved and published where he addresses an AMA medical conference. In it he simultaneously describes the program along three tracks - 1) Psychological, 2) Philosophical, and 3) Spiritual. I found myself hoping the author was going to cover this material. Alas, no such chapter.

But it was a great book, I wanted more of the Author's reasoned, diligently researched and insightful conversational text. Even though I did not completely or necessarially agree, I really enjoyed the process of the reading experience. I truly enjoyed the book. It made me think, made me agree and disagree, informed me, and affected me. I really would like to have seen it be twice as long.

In the stepping stones section where the author discribes Lois W. as saying that Bill W. did truly achieve humility was wonderfully led up to, framed, and presented. I felt, se finis, as if Bill was saying to me, out of this book, "True ambition is to walk humbly and to live usefully under God's Grace."

Well Done! Bravo

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For thoughtful, intelligent readers, it gets no better..., February 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Bill W. and Mr. Wilson: The Legend and Life of A.A.'s Cofounder (Paperback)

I was given this book as an early gift for my 5-year sobriety birthday. In April 1998, I took what I hope was my last drink. In April 2003, "God willin' and the creek don't rise," I will celebrate that 5-year milestone. I've read all the AA-approved treatments of our co-founders and their lives, and much of the non-conference-approved canon on the life of William G. Wilson. This book quickly became my favorite because of its honesty. Rather than painting Bill W. as God's special instrument, divinely appointed to save us drunks and led by God as if by puppet strings, this book paints an appropriately complex picture of a real human being -- a drunk like me. Raphael's take on Bill W. is based on tremendous research and a great deal of thought, as well as the wisdom of long-term, "good" sobriety. The writing is lucid and readable, though I did have to consult the dictionary twice. (I don't mind that, though -- being stretched a little. Good books should do that, don't you think?) For anyone interested in AA's legendary cofounder, I give this book a 5-star recommendation. It doesn't get better than this for thoughtful members of the recovery community.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important scholarly book on AA and Bill W., April 29, 2011

By 

saintmaur - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bill W. and Mr. Wilson: The Legend and Life of A.A.'s Cofounder (Paperback)

This is an important book for anyone who is interested in a thoughtful and scholarly approach to the life of Bill W. It has not reached the popularity of a number of biographies and histories of AA, but it should. It is, so far as I know, the only scholarly investigation of the sources available for a biography of Bill W. The author is a trained literary scholar and he approaches the evidence for Bill's life and early AA with the skill and objectivity that such specialists can employ. The result is something of an exercise in what would be called in biblical studies `higher criticism'. That is, he exposes the sources to the same sort of criticism that any historical source should be subject to. As a result, we find that some of the almost mythical stories of the founder's life rest on shaky evidence: they were remembered imperfectly or recorded with certain ends in view other than historical accuracy.
As with biblical criticism, this sort of investigation may be hard for some AAers to take; it may shake their faith in the infallibility of Bill W. and his early AA friends and collaborators. On the other hand, as Bill W. himself made clear in a phrase that is read out at the beginning of many AA meetings "we are not saints; the point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines". Indeed, this seems to be the author's main thesis regarding Bill W's personal journey. In that sense, this is a highly respectful book; moreover, while the author has no compunction about exposing contradictions or inaccuracies in some of the `sacred texts' of early AA, he at the same time refuses to give credence to rumors that are widespread but not, in his researches, justified by the evidence. An important example of this is Bill's supposed philandering, for which the author finds little credible documentation.
In the end, this gem of a book is a critical text by a believer and that to my mind is often the best sort of criticism: the author has experienced the power of AA in his own life and is sensitive to the enormous good that Bill W. has done for him and millions of others. AA-ers should not shy away from historical truth, esp. as it is set forth in this learned yet accessible history, since the core of AA's message and achievements retains its power and in my view, emerges stronger for being subjected to such scholarly but sympathetic inquiry.
Still, AA members in early sobriety might want to wait for a while before perusing this careful, but sometimes unsettling, examination of Bill W's extraordinary story.